Spindle whorl

The spindle whorl was a small, round tool that was used to weight the spindle and give the thread a better spinning motion during spinning. The relic, which is one of twenty-one pieces of similar artefacts, was found at the site of an early medieval settlement in Czermno, Tyszowiecki district. The stronghold functioned between the 10th and 13th centuries in the territory of Grody Czerwieńskie.

The object was made of pink Owrucz slate, i.e. a rock from Ukraine (near Owrucz). Spindle whorls forged from the same raw material differ in construction details. The described specimen has a very regular, round shape with a relatively large opening. Its cross-section is defined as biconical. The surfaces near the opening are flat cut and polished.

It is not known whether this object was used for spinning. Probably, its decorative values were used or it was a kind of means of payment in barter trade.

Stone spindle whorls from Czermno are considered to be one of the most characteristic imports from Ruthenia to the area of the Piast state. They are most numerous in the eastern border areas.